Differentiation of European and Far East Asian populations of Saccharomyces paradoxus by allozyme analysis.

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to characterize 39 isolates belonging to the wild yeast species Saccharomyces paradoxus for variation at nine enzyme loci. The data revealed significant genetic differentiation between isolates from two geographically distinct regions, one including continental Europe and the other including the Russian Far East and Japan. The results are consistent with previous observations indicating that there is partial reproductive isolation between isolates collected from these regions, and they suggest the possibility that these two populations represent an early stage in speciation.